Morocco have been awarded a 3-0 win in the Africa Cup of Nations final after Senegal were stripped of the title by the Confederation of African Football's appeal board. The ruling overturns the original result, which saw Senegal win 2-1 after extra time in Rabat in January.
The decision follows an incident in the final where Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw and some players left the pitch for 15 minutes in protest at a penalty awarded to Morocco. They returned after captain Sadio Mané implored them, and Brahim Díaz's spot-kick was saved before Pape Gueye scored the winner in extra time.
Caf initially imposed fines of over $1m and bans on players and officials but left the result unchanged. However, the appeal board ruled that Senegal forfeited the match under article 84 of the competition regulations. Senegal are expected to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Lyon defender Moussa Niakhaté, who played in the final, criticised the decision on Instagram, posting a picture of him holding the trophy with the caption: 'Come and get them. They are crazy.' Nearly a million supporters had lined the streets of Dakar to celebrate Senegal's second Afcon title.
The Moroccan football federation welcomed the ruling, stating it sought only the application of regulations, not to challenge sporting performance. Morocco, who last won the competition in 1976, had been heavy favourites as hosts.
